Conversations with Honeychild Coleman

Today we’d like to introduce you to Honeychild Coleman.

Hi Honeychild, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started my professional musical career during the summer of 1993, fresh out of Laney Community College (Oakland) after an epic cross-country road trip. I busked in the subway (Broadway/Lafayette Station) by night and worked at John Fluevog Shoes (Soho, NYC) daily. Danny Chavis (The Veldt) came into the shop with a few friends – I recognized him from an article Greg Tate had written in VIBE magazine. Eventually, I befriended both Chavis brothers and became a fan of their alternate project Apollo Heights. We crossed paths around the East Village, performing on numerous bills together and appearing in James Spooner’s documentary “Afropunk.” In the Summer of 2005, the Chavis brothers invited me to join their band on rhythm guitar. They had garnered quite a reputation as “The Best Band in New York City” (FADER), and we set our sites overseas, crashing in Paris and playing shows in Italy and the UK. It felt empowering to be respected onstage with them as a musician first, and it was hard work. I had to learn, in Danny’s words, “not to play the guitar like I was mad at it!” and restrain my attack a bit. Coming from the Meow Mix scene and Sistagrrl Riots, I was more accustomed to a different flavor of sonic abandonment. I refused to sing with the band for many years, haha – conjuring up my best shoegaze swagger; my back turned to the audience and my head against my amplifier. And there was a fashion agenda – which I fully respect – the music, the video projections, the vintage-infused Afrocentric style – the Chavis art direction was strong. We Southern transplants in Gotham intrinsically bonded as visual artists who loved layers of effects, Bomb Squad drum breaks, and a wall of sound. In the Winter of 2007, I played my first show in Raleigh (at The Pour House) with Apollo Heights, and the city captured my heart. Later that year, we played on my birthday (at King’s), and I often visited in between.

Damali Young, who also played drums in my first band and Apollo Heights, sent me a drum track he had written while living in Malmo (Sweden), which became the foundation for my song “Echelon” and appeared in Dee Rees’ debut film “Pariah” (FocusFeatures). In 2017 Daniel Chavis and I created a Winter noise series, “Phenomena: Southern Gothic,” and put on nights at Ruby Deluxe(Raleigh) and The Cave (Chapel Hill). That same year I also formed the blues-punk band The 1865 (with Sacha Jenkins) and learned baritone guitar. In 2018 1865 released our debut album, “Don’t Tread On We!” (Mass Appeal Records), and our song “John Brown’s Gat” appeared in the TV series “Woke” (HULU). In December 2021, The Veldt’s series “I Have A DreamPop” was curated for First Friday at The City of Raleigh Museum. I performed as well as made my debut public literary reading from my novel in progress, “Black Girl: Blue Hair.” That performance sparked an invitation to submit written work for RAZORCAKE’ zine Issue #130 (2022) and James Spooner and Chris Terry’s anthology Black Punk Now! (Fall 2023). The 1865’s music appears in the TV series “Everything’s Gonna Be All White” (Showtime, 2022), and we performed it in the bonus episode. In the Fall of 2021, I was interviewed for the German documentary “ROCK CHICKS – I AM NOT FEMALE TO YOU “by Marita Stocker, featuring my band Bachslider (March 2023 debut).

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth by whose standards? If I were a regular ordinary person, I would say not. Most people would consider the sacrifices we make to allow space and time to create to be torturous at best. While average, non-creative people go to work and come home or go to work and go out to dinner, a movie, partying, or on (paid) vacations, my time and funds have been allocated differently in my life. I’ll never forget speaking on the phone once with my parents when I was in my early 20s, and they were shocked that I didn’t have air conditioning. AC (and a higher electric bill) were expenses I wasn’t willing to suffer at the time – and besides – there was air conditioning at my (day) job. Then I went out after work – the rehearsal studios had AC. Or the club if I had a gig. And even sometimes the movies. I won’t say it wasn’t ever miserable – especially in August, in a very sunny 6-floor walk up in Brooklyn. But I wasn’t sitting in my house much during the day to let it get to me. It was a minor annoyance to live in this great city. On a personal level, however – this lifestyle has been challenging. If you have a circle of friends, family, or even a romantic partner who doesn’t fully understand how committed you are to your path as an artist, problems can arise. Jealousy, financial stress (if they earn more than you or get tired of you being too broke to “keep up” with them socially, falling behind on rent and bills, etc.). I’ve tried the straight-and-narrow life – it didn’t work for me, haha. I always have a day job – I’ve been working since I was 14. I work part-time for a non-profit dance company and DJ for a maker’s market (Artists & Fleas). My priorities support my goals and work, making me happy even when challenging or lean.

Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a songwriter, a musician, an illustrator, a DJ, and now officially a writer as of 2022. Different disciplines have retained my focus during various times in my life. Up until age 19, my focus was visual arts and fashion design. That brought me from Louisville, KY, to New York City to attend Parsons School of Design. While living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I switched my major to Accessories Design at The College of Alameda. During my early twenties, I got heavily into skateboarding, cycling, and the local East Bay music scene, first singing for fun with a few friends, then doing backup singing in some punk-thrash bands, and eventually taking vocal lessons. My roommate LisaBell gave me a steel string guitar because I “was always singing the lead guitar parts” while cruising around and felt that the guitar suited me. I taught myself to play and started writing songs immediately, and it took over. Writing and illustration were still a part of my life, but I put fashion designing commercially on the back burner. Now that energy is used mainly to design (band) merch and one-of-a-kind pieces for me. I’ve been writing poetry and short stories since my time in The Bay Area (1989-1993), and I always envisioned I would write a screenplay someday. From the Summer of 2011 to Summer of 2012, I wrote a novel via my Blackberry, printed it out, and took it with me on a solo tour of Europe, reading and making editing notes for three months. When I returned in 2013, the novel went into a box in storage. In 2014 I was invited to participate in a group art show featuring my illustrations “Femme Fatale” (Greenpoint), curated by Chris “Smitty” Smith. And in 2017, as we were art directing the lyric booklet for my band, The 1865’s debut album “Don’t Tread on We!” it only made sense that I should also do those illustrations for the coloring book to accompany the vinyl. This is one of my proudest moments – hearing my old art teachers’ voices in my head, feeling like I had finally done them proud!

After seeing Kristin Hersh perform solo and read for the third time, I leaped and did my own reading during a solo show in Raleigh at The COR Museum in 2021. This reading/performance led to some writing opportunities and has pushed me to finish my “Black Girl: Blue Hair” novel. The lyrical content of the songs also speaks about life for black Americans post-slavery, which hauntingly parallels many things we are still facing today. In 2021 I faced a health setback upon discovering tumors in both breasts and chose to undergo a preventative double mastectomy without reconstruction. My choice to receive an Aesthetic Flat Closure and live proudly in my body was highly influenced by many life choices – how I present as an artist and a woman, recovery time, and protecting my health to keep living this creative and vibrant life journey. Energized by this new lease on life, I revitalized my monthly residency, “The Jaded Lovers Sunday Salon,” and began doing some streaming concerts that include reading and storytelling on URSAlive.com. I hope to take this series on the road. Daniel Chavis was one of my first guest songwriters when it began at Trophy Bar – would be wonderful to do this in Raleigh, Louisville and eventually overseas.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Mentors: Masha Calloway ( joy through fashion + introduction to dear friend, stylist Karen Levitt), Greg Tate (seer, listener, visionary), Hank Shocklee (friendship and wisdom), Stew Stewart (writing coaching and inspiration), Vernon Reid (talking guitar shop and supporting The 1865), Michael Imperioli (writing, friendship), Judy Nylon (punk realness, inclusivity), Ari Up of The Slts (pushing me to be brave)

Teammates: Thanking all of the members of my bands, special guests, and collaborators because Music Is Life: 1865, Apollo Heights, Bachslider, Badawi, Dejligt (Matteite Records), GKA w/my partner (Criterion Thornton), Heavensbee, Kelsey Warren (Blak Emoji), Mad Professor, Molecule, DJ Olive (The Agriculture Records), Robin Guthrie, WolvenCub Sorcery (FKA The ReAver), my DJ partners DJ SupaJen (Toronto) and Tears Are Not Enough (Brooklyn) and The Sistagrrls: Tamar-kali, Maya Sokora, and Simi Stone

Supporters: Raz Mesinai (music production, artistic support, friendship), Fiona Ledger (All FM Radio), Ed Marshall Productions & Photography, C.P. Krenkler Photography, Julia Adamson (Invisiblegirl Records), Vadim Shoykhet Photography, Thomas Appel Fotografia, Karen Gabay (BBC Manchester), Vincent “Sax” Bouyssou (DJ, Videographer, friendship), Michael L. Jones (Journalist/Author), Yassira Diggs (make-up artist & editing), The BandDroidz (friendship),The Coleman & Martin families

Cheerleaders: Peluche (Super Fan), Kat Dyson (guitar goddess), Stephanie Pezolano (life), Ricc Sheridan (music), Hugh Schreiber (ears), Maya Contreras (activism), Shoshana Vogel (friendship and presence), DJ Shakey (The Warper Party), Luqman Brown AKA Dope Sagittarius (RIP), Sacha Jenkins SHR (1865, art and friendship)

Advocates: The Chavis brothers (Apollo Heights/The Veldt), LaRonda Davis (The Black Rock Coalition), Tara de Porte (Human Impacts Institute), James Spooner (AFROPUNK film)

Contact Info:

• Website & Booking: linktr.ee/honeychildcoleman
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hccoleman/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/honeyhoneyhoneychild
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/honeychild-coleman/
• Youtube: MERCH: https://honeychild-coleman-tour-merch.creator-spring.com
• Yelp: BANDCAMP https://honeychildcoleman.bandcamp.com/album/sacred-love-ep
• SoundCloud: The 1865  https://the1865.bandcamp.com/album/dont-tread-on-we
• Other: Bachslider https://bachslider.bandcamp.com/

Image Credits
Personal image by Ed Marshall Productions NYC. All other images by Honeychild Coleman except Apollo Heights. Flyer image by Ginny Suss. Illustrations by Honeychild Coleman. Bandanas designed by Honeychild Coleman Hand. Painted t-shirt by Honeychild Coleman